Press Release: Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address on Special Session to Address State’s Chronic Workforce Challenges

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 08/10/2023 10:50 AM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 10, 2023
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address on Special Session to Address State’s Chronic Workforce Challenges
 
Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered the Democratic Radio Address on his announcement this week, calling a special session of the Wisconsin State Legislature at 12 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 20, 2023, to complete their work on the 2023-25 biennial budget and pass a meaningful, comprehensive plan to address the state’s longstanding, generational workforce challenges. More information on the governor’s workforce plan is available here.

Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

While Wisconsin began this biennium in the best fiscal position in its 175-year statehood, we know employers across the state continue to face significant, generational challenges filling available jobs.

Earlier this year, I proposed a comprehensive budget plan to address our state’s longstanding workforce challenges, supporting working families, and maintain our economic momentum. Unfortunately, Republicans in the Legislature rejected many of these efforts.

But thanks to my strategic line-item vetoes in the budget, I’ve ensured ample state resources are readily available for legislators to address the most pressing issues facing our state.

So, this week, I called a special session of the Legislature next month on September 20 to complete their work on the budget.

My comprehensive workforce plan invests more than $365 million to help prevent our child care industry from collapsing. I’m also proposing to expand paid family and medical leave in Wisconsin for working families.

My plan also supports higher education to educate, train, and retain and recruit talented workers, including over $66 million for our University of Wisconsin System and over $40 million for our Wisconsin Technical College System.

And my plan targets high-need sectors and industries, including $160 million for solutions to our healthcare workforce shortages and more than $16 million to address the teacher shortage and bolster educator pipelines.

The challenges that have plagued our state for generations will continue holding our economy, our families, and our state back if Republicans in the Legislature don’t take seriously the second chance I’m giving them, and urgently.

We must work together in the coming weeks so we can bolster our state’s workforce, maintain our economic momentum, and most importantly, do the right thing for Wisconsin.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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